Houston Rockets vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction, Preview and Odds - 12/14/2024

Game Time: 8:30 pm ET, Saturday, December 14, 2024

Venue:  T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV

Where to Watch:  ABC

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Rockets +5.5, Thunder -5.5; Over/Under:  212.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Rockets +5.5, Thunder -5.5; Over/Under:  212.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Rockets +5.5, Thunder -5.5; Over/Under:  212.5 points

Houston Rockets:  17-8 (1st place, Southwest Division)

Oklahoma City Thunder:  19-5 (1st place, Northwest Division)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Amedeus Mastrangelo is on a HOT STREAK in the NBA on a 12-4 NBA RUN for +$7,520 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Houston Rockets:  7-3 last 10

Oklahoma City Thunder:  8-2 last 10

The Rockets are entering this game with a 17-8 record overall this season and they are 7-5 in their road games this season, but this game will be at a neutral site. They are entering this game on a 2 game winning streak with wins coming against the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors. Alperen Şengün led the team in points in that game with 26 while Jabari Smith Jr. was next on the team with 15 points. Fred VanVleet led the team in assists in that game with 7 while Alperen Şengün led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 45.8% from the field, 22.2% from 3-point range, and 90% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 112.7 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 105.9 PPG against them. The Rockets have an ATS record of 16-9 this season and their O/U record is 12-12-1.

The Thunder are entering this game with a 19-5 record overall this season and they are 9-3 in their road games this season, but this game will be at a neutral site. They are entering this game on a 4 game winning streak with wins coming against the Utah Jazz, the Toronto Raptors, the New Orleans Pelicans, and the Dallas Mavericks. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team in points in that game with 39 while Jalen Williams was next on the team with 18 points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team in assists in that game with 5 while Isaiah Hartenstein led the team in rebounds with 13. They were 45.5% from the field, 40% from 3-point range, and 85.7% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 115.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 103.8 PPG against them. The Thunder have an ATS record of 15-9 this season and their O/U record is 11-13.

The current betting odds have the Thunder listed as a 5.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Thunder have looked great in their games this season with their 19-5 record overall which has them right at the top of the West with one of the best records in the entire NBA. They have also looked great in their road games with their 9-3 road record. Meanwhile, the Rockets have looked good in their games this season with their 17-8 record overall which has them right near the top of the West with one of the best records in the entire NBA too. They have some momentum on their side with 2 wins in a row now, but they haven't looked as good this season when they aren't at home. They are 7-5 in their road games this season and this isn't really a road game, but they aren't going to be on their home court either. They also struggled in the last round which was on their home court, only beating the Warriors by 1 point. They had a first half lead in that game too, but they blew it in the 2nd half and ended up trailing for the rest of the game until they finally took the lead by 1 right at the end. Their defense has been one of the best in the NBA, but the Thunder have also been one of the best in the NBA on defense this year. The Thunder also have more momentum on their side with 4 wins in a row now, and they crushed the Mavericks by double digits in the last round too. The Rockets have had a great start to the season, but they aren't quite there yet while the Thunder have been building this team over the last few seasons, improving each year, and this is a great competition for them to flex their muscles in after falling short in the playoffs last season. The best way to place a bet here is on the Thunder to cover the spread in this game. 

Rockets Thunder Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Saturday, December 14, 2024 (8:30 pm ET start time) is Thunder 105 Rockets 96.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert basketball picks today.  And if you enjoyed this Houston Rockets Oklahoma City Thunder prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NBA predictions and previews.

Houston Rockets: 5-13 ATS against Northwest division opponents in road/neutral site games. 25-43 ATS as an underdog in road/neutral site games. 3-8 ATS when playing against a top-level team (Win Pct. > 70%) in road/neutral site games. 21-12 OVER when the total is 210 to 219.5. 18-9 OVER after scoring 100 points or less. 

Oklahoma City Thunder: 34-21 ATS against Southwest division opponents. 30-19 ATS revenging a road loss vs opponent. 30-17 ATS versus good teams - outscoring their opponents by 3+ points/game. 44-25 OVER off a home win. 60-37 OVER after playing a home game. 

Houston Rockets:  None.

Oklahoma City Thunder:  J. Williams (PF) Day To Day - Hamstring. A. Flagler Out - Finger. O. Dieng (SF) Out - Finger. C. Holmgren (PF) Out - Hip. N. Topić (PG) Out For Season - ACL.

“We started to look at the frequency and the dates (of the incidents), and there was something every week from January on. The broadcasters would say, ‘Here goes another dust-up with Houston. It’s becoming an every game thing now.’ So that mentality had changed. And I told the guys, ‘You have to earn the respect of the league and not take a backseat to anybody.’” - Ime Udoka on how he changed the mentality of this team.

"[Rockets] Coach [Ime] Udoka has established a culture of toughness there that is very potent and very obvious. He's done a great job. The athleticism of that team. They have electric athletes at multiple spots in size." - Mark Daigneault on his team’s semi-final game against the Rockets in the NBA In-Season Tournament.

PG Fred VanVleet

SG Jalen Green 

SF Dillon Brooks

PF Jabari Smith Jr.

C Alperen Sengun

PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

SG Cason Wallace

SF Luguentz Dort

PF Jalen Williams

C Isaiah Hartenstein

PPG: J. Green (19.2)

APG: F. VanVleet (5.9)

Reb/G: A. Sengun (10.6)

PPG: S. Gilgeous-Alexander (30.2)

APG: S. Gilgeous-Alexander (6.3)

Reb/G: I. Hartenstein (12.8)

Coaches:

Houston Rockets: Ime Udoka (2nd season)

Oklahoma City Thunder: Mark Daigneault (5th season)